Mahishasuramardini, Durga as the Slayer of the Buffalo-demon

Primary TitleDurga

CultureIndian

Date16th century

MediumGreenstone

DimensionsOverall: 48 inches (121.92 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number34-3

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

South and Southeast Asian Art

Terms

Exhibition History

No known additional exhibition history known at this time.

Gallery Label

Durga is the supreme mother goddess of the Hindu tradition. In one of the most famous stories associated with Durga, the other Hindu gods ask the goddess to subdue a fierce buffalo-demon who was terrorizing the universe. Many images of Durga depict her in the act of slaying the buffalo-demon, but here her opponent is referenced by the severed buffalo head on the base beneath her feet. In the story, Durga carried many weapons loaned by all the gods. Here she holds Vishnu’s conch and wheel, suggesting that this sculpture may have come from a temple dedicated to Vishnu.

Provenance

With C. T. Loo & Co., New York, by March 28, 1933-1934 [1];

Purchased from C. T. Loo & Co. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1934.

NOTES:

[1] C. T. Loo loaned this sculpture to the Nelson-Atkins for the museum’s opening exhibition in December 1933. It was shipped to the museum in March 1933. See letter from Marion W. Riepe, C. T. Loo & Co., to Paul Gardner, Director, March 28, 1933, Nelson-Atkins Archives, RG01/01, Director’s Office Records – Gardner, Box 1, Folder 28, copy in Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

Published References

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Kimberly Masteller, Masterworks from India and Southeast Asia: the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kanas City, Missouri: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in association with University of Washington Press, 2016), 70-71, (repro.).

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